VeganMoFo Post #5: Sweet Ending to a Rough Work Week

There wasn't much mofo'ing going on today here at Gemusings..work has been keeping me extremely busy. Work, home, eat, play with goos, go to bed. That's pretty much it. Aside from my stuffed squash dish last night, I really haven't cooked much this week. We've been living off the leftovers from Sunday's Red Flannel Hash (which only improved over the days..definitely making this one again) and had stuffed squash for lunch AND dinner. Also another great find this week. So although I am "wicked" behind in my mofo'ing posts, MoFo has pushed me to try two new recipes that I probably wouldn't have made the time for otherwise. So I'll be satisfied with that. Tonight I am planning on storming the couch with a good movie and the opportunity to let my mind go blank for 138 minutes..the running length of the movie. Seemed like the perfect time to indulge in a little treat. I found this vegan hot cocoa sweetened with only stevia and mint (they also have a delicious orange cocoa too). It's perfect for me because I can't handle a lot of sugar in the evening. Topped off with a little coconut milk creamer, it was a yummy treat along with three little mint UFO chocolates from Trader Joe's. Speaking of Trader Joe's..did you know that they have a list of vegan ingredients in the store? Nice..

Just add water and a little coconut creamer..yum..minty fresh goodness..

Some other sweeties: Wiley..Goo #4 out of 6. He's got a unique white patch on his back and he's a pretty easy going little guy. He and his two brothers, Brownie and Baby were the last three goos we adopted this spring. Our originals (Keebler, Cubbie and Trolli) came from a local animal shelter whereas Wiley, Brownie and Baby came to us via Craig's List. These two sets of brothers couldn't be more different. The original group were affectionate and fearless the very first day home. They literally came running over to meet us at the shelter! I thought this was typical of degus but it's not always. A lot of people buy them from pet stores and don't have enough time to spend with them. Since degus are extremely social animals, it's important that they work you into their social group. If you don't have time to do this with them, they will be terrified of you. The second set of goos' original owner became bored with them in a few months and wanted to feed them to his pet snake. They were rescued by the owner's roommate..who then moved out and took the goos with him (lucky little goos to cross paths with such a kind guy). He cared for them (and took very good care of them) for a few months but his new apartment didn't allow them so he put them up for adoption on Craig's List. That's when I met them!

Wiley is very bold and an excellent climber. He's also very good-natured and affectionate..only after months of getting to know me though. It's a really cool feeling to have these three little guys warm up to me after living in fear of me for the first few weeks.

Brownie (below) bit me on the index finger the first week we had him, pretty hard. It was my fault because I swatted the air near his nose and he took that as a threat. We have worked hard at reconciling and he's now the most devoted friend..sitting on my leg for 10-20 minutes just happy to chill out with me. Typically I'd say that goos do not bite that much (at least my shelter animals do not) but this second group is much more fearful and they will bite if they feel threatened. Now that everyone is comfortable with each other, there are no more bites which is great. I do not have a picture though of Baby because he is often hiding. He is extremely skittish but now even he has taken to sitting on my leg and shoulder.


If you can't tell, I'm absolutely and totally in love with these six little boys. H has got a bad case of Goo Fever too..I often finding him hoovering in the goo house, giving out little treats or tickling them. Expect many more goos stories and pictures in the future to supplement my squirrels!! Okay, good night all..my sister is coming to Boston tomorrow and we'll then head up to New Hampshire for leaf peeping, family visiting and some good vegan chowing. More posts to come soon..have a great weekend!